This species’ intimate mating strategy proved to be one of the team’s most surprising observations, challenging all that is known about conventional octopus reproduction. Sometimes it will be able to grab it with a sticky sucker, but more often than not the maneuver will startle the shrimp, sending it scuttling in the other direction – and right into the octopus’ arms. Such freaky reproductive behaviors are proof that scientists still have much to learn about these bulbous and intelligent sea creatures.
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The octopuses mated frequently and laid eggs repeatedly over several months, whereas the females of most known octopuses die after a single brood.
LPSO, approximately tennis-ball-sized, had been reported to have engaged in unusual behaviors for an octopus, including living in large colonies and living in dens as pairs after mating – but behavioralists studying marine animals hadn’t had much opportunity to confirm the early research. In other octopus species, the male wraps himself over the female, or remains at a distance, extending only his specialized sex arm to reach her mantle.
The larger Pacific striped octopus males approach the females and put themselves in danger during intercourse, which was observed lasting days, though they usually come out of it physically unharmed.
Generally, a male octopus mates at arm’s length, getting ready to flee if the female becomes too aggressive or hungry. The females would then reproduce multiple times.
“There are a lot of species of octopus, and most have never even been seen alive in the wild and certainly haven’t been studied”, he said.
Further studies in captivity have revealed a wider picture of its behavior for the first time. “It turns out most don’t live up to their “denizen of the deep” reputation”, Huffard said. The eyes and chromatophores are visible through the egg membranes. Females took care of the eggs until they all hatched, over a total period of eight months. They have a striking high-contrast display of colours and patterns, varying from a pale to dark reddish-brown hue to black with white stripes, and spots.
“Only a handful of these beasts have ever been collected, and to our knowledge, (Panamanian biologist and co-author Aradio) Rodaniche is the only scientist to have seen them in the wild”, lead author Roy Caldwell told Discovery News.
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Many of these characteristics were uncovered by a prominent biologist in the 1970s, but because his findings massively contradicted other studies about octopus behaviour, very little attention was paid to his study.
